2019 Year In Review

Business

A year ago, I wrote a slower growth of Hunter was acceptable if it meant keeping comfortable working conditions and an agile team.

But it turns out that growth accelerated. Hunter’s revenue grew by about 50% in 2019, which was significantly faster than in 2018.

We realized we couldn’t sustainably continue to pursue Hunter’s operations with the current team size. We decided to recruit 3 new team members. We are now 8 team members.

We did 3 company retreats in Oslo, Lisbon, and Marrakesh.

The view we had during our company retreat in Oslo, Norway

Travels

For the first time, I spent time in eastern Europe (Poland and Hungary). It was a very positive experience, and I won’t hesitate to explore more when I’m back in Europe.

Chiang Rai ×1

Shanghai ×1

Samui ×2

Pha-ngan ×1

Bangkok ×2

Oslo ×1

Paris ×2

Warsaw ×2

Krakow ×1

Budapest ×1

Lisbon ×1

Marrakesh ×1

Taipei ×1

I am now considering spending less time in Thailand in favor of more developed areas in Asia. I don’t have a precise plan, but I’m thinking of South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.

Investments

I read The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, the bible of value investing. It’s very different from the technical approaches I previously studied. I’m learning a lot by doing, investing in stocks and ETFs in several markets (USA, Europe, Japan, and Singapore).

During the year, I also closely watched the real estate market in Chiang Mai. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any opportunity, partly because of rising prices and the surging Thai baht. However, I had the chance to buy a unit for myself in a condo I have been looking at for a long time.

Others

Interior design

I’m currently working with an interior designer to renovate the apartment I bought in Chiang Mai. My goal is to finish the renovation in 2020.

Current minimalist design planned for the apartment I’m renovating

Survivalism

I’m starting to be interested in survivalism! The first action I will take is to get a first-aid training. I’m still figuring out what other preparations are relevant to me.

Motorbike driving

I’m driving much more than before and did a few 3-hours trips around Chiang Mai this year. Im 2020, I’ll take the next step and learn to drive with clutch (I’m only driving automatic for now).